Resource Allocation, Financing and Sustainability in the Health Sector

Abstract

The focus on acute, episodic care in the conventional health-care model fails to provide adequately for changing health-care needs arising from increased longevity and increasing prevalence of chronic disease. Integrated care involves coherent and co-ordinated delivery of health-care services across a broad range of health and social care providers. A principal aim of integrated health care is to improve the patient?s journey through the system by co-ordinating care among providers and by strengthening the role of primary care. Effective resource allocation mechanisms, supported by appropriate financing arrangements, have an important role to play in delivering integrated health care. In addition, more efficient use of scarce health-care resources is required, and can be influenced by the resource allocation and financing mechanisms. This article summarises research undertaken by the ESRI to provide evidence for the Expert Group on Resource Allocation and Financing in Health Care, which reported in July 2010 (Brick et al., 2010a, b; Ruane, 2010).